U.S. Naval Institute Naval History & Heritage Command

On 1 October 1990 the carrier INDEPENDENCE (CV 62) transited the Strait of Hormuz en route to the Arabian Gulf. The following day she conducted flight operations in the Gulf, becoming the first carrier to do so since CONSTELLATION (CV 64) had operated there in 1974.

INDEPENDENCE (CV 62) left the Gulf on 4 October, following three days of sailing in its confined and shallow waters. A Pentagon spokesman said that the aircraft carrier had successfully completed her mission, which was “to demonstrate to our friends and allies in the region that it is possible to put a carrier in the Gulf and carry out operations.”

USS Nimitz and USS Midway operated in the North Arabian Sea during the Iranian Crisis in 1979. I was at NAVCAMS Westpac and operated the communications networks that supported those ships during the entire crisis.